Members of the Kinston Department of Public Safety responded to a call of a house fire on East Bright Street around 2:10 p.m. Friday.

Edna James, the owner of the house, said she was taking a nap inside before waking up to flames.

“When I woke up, the house was full of smoke,” James said. “There was so much smoke, I couldn’t see anything.”

James was able to make it out of the house without injury.

KDPS Assistant Chief Don Crawford said it didn’t take long to put out the fire and he had a good analysis as to what caused the blaze.

“It took about 15 minutes to knock the fire down,” Crawford said. “An investigation revealed the source of the fire was a wood heater with combustibles around it.”

Adrien Meadows — who ran for Kinston City Council in November and is James’ neighbor — was riding with his mother and passed by James’ house. He said he immediately called 911 after seeing smoke.

“We were riding by, and saw her house full of smoke,” Meadows said. “The fire department responded right on time. This house has been around since before I was born, and it’s a shame to see it in this condition.”

Junious Smith III can be reached at 252-559-1077 and Junious.Smith@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JuniousSmithIII.